Scott stevens

[Deaneus!]

Should be on the list as a depth player next year, but anything else would be a stunning indictment on the younger players. Davis and Talia should be taking the #2 and #3 defensive tall positions next year (assuming Bock goes to Gold Coast).

Nothing bugs me more than players who can't kick without it inherently being a hospital ball. Tregenza, Johncock (such a pity), Stevens, Symes. Grrrrrr.

 

[Pariah]

Drop and rethink his future. Harsh yes but time and time again he makes the same mistakes and just doesn't learn from them. Now that Birdmans retired he's the most frustrating player on the list.

 

[amer]

I've developed an intense loathing for the sight of Stevens. Every time he runs through the banner, every time he's on TV, every time he's got the footy and is about to make a decision coming out of defense, it's like I'm looking at someone who slept with my wife.

 

[SydCrow]

took a couple of good defensive grabs tonight - one was a ripper

but his kicking is a real worry and it seems to be affecting his confidence

overall the defence seemed to miss Goodwin's influence

 

[Godallblighty]

Should be on the list as a depth player next
year, but anything else would be a stunning indictment on the younger
players. Davis and Talia should be taking the #2 and #3 defensive tall
positions next year (assuming Bock goes to Gold Coast).

Nothing bugs me more than players who can't kick without it inherently
being a hospital ball. Tregenza, Johncock (such a pity), Stevens, Symes.
Grrrrrr.

Time to let that one go.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Drop Stevens??!!

B-b-bu-bu-but but.... what about that final two years ago where he played well?

Phil Harper said during the week that Scott Stevens had played 2 of his best games for the club in the last two weeks. I don't see Stevens getting dropped this week. It is a shame Davis didn't have a big impact for North though.

Classic over compensation.

He knows Stevens is on thin ice, he knows the club would get criticised HEAVILY for dropping a gunnish looking kid to keep Stevens in the team and he wanted to short circuit this criticism by talking up Stevo's game.

I'm not buying it Phil. The only reason he's getting games is because Neil is in love with him and also because he's in the leadership group because all the oldies banded together and voted for each other.

 

[Blue Red and Gold]

with our season now officially shot, I dont see how we can justify playing him. His errors and clangers are just predictable and they cost us valuable momentum each and every time. Davis has to come in for him, we have to look to the future.

The commentators at one stage said it was a very brave decision to drop Davis for Bock, to be honest I think they took the easy way out, the brave thing to of done would of been to keep Davis in and make Bock work for his position.

 

[Rave Slave]

Slight tangent here as it may just be down to pure lack of match fitness but did anyone else think Bock looked REALLY slow tonight? He's gone from the most attacking CHB in the competition to Ben Rutten the 2nd (only without the same defensive ability).

Concerning.

On Stevens, was atrocious but wasn't alone. Won't be dropped based solely on the fact I can name 5 players who performed as bad or worse than him (says more about the rest of the team than it does about Stevens performance unfortunately).

 

[jackster83]

Slight tangent here as it may just be down to pure lack of match fitness but did anyone else think Bock looked REALLY slow tonight? He's gone from the most attacking CHB in the competition to Ben Rutten the 2nd (only without the same defensive ability).

Has looked really slow all year.

He's bulkier than Rutten these days. Needs to lose about 5kg IMO.

 

[The Karma Bus]

Slight tangent here as it may just be down to pure lack of match fitness but did anyone else think Bock looked REALLY slow tonight? He's gone from the most attacking CHB in the competition to Ben Rutten the 2nd (only without the same defensive ability).

That's funny you say that, as we were walking after the game i said bock is looking like rutten's twin in terms of mobility etc.. Moving like a jumbo jet..

Bock looks slow of mind, slow of body, like a lost sheep really..

 

[smoovy]

I thought giving Bock a pinch hitting role in the midfield might have been worth a shot earlier in the year. But watching him now that just won't happen. Not only is his pace gone, he has the turning circle of the QE2.

 

[ruscy002]

Meanwhile, Rutten has made some awesome chasedowns on Ballantyne, Hitchcock etc...what does it all mean

 

[Archie87]

Meanwhile, Rutten has made some awesome chasedowns on Ballantyne, Hitchcock etc...what does it all mean

Was going to mention this too.

I think Rutten is a little quicker than fans give him credit for. Maybe it's his muscly legs that enable him to generate a decent amount of speed off the mark??? (Well a decent speed for his size/body type anyway, I'm not saying he's fast by any stretch of the imagination)

 

[The Karma Bus]

Speed is different to mobility..

It's the mobility that i was talking about and i think the others also..

The fast on your feet to react situations, turning circles, picking up the ball and time taken to do something with it, twisting/turning, mobility to evade tackles or run past/around packs etc

 

[Drummond]

I'd rather Evan Hewitt.

 

[sbenno]

I really don't understand how Davis got dropped before Stevens. It makes no sense on a number of fronts, not the least of which include:

Future Development
Form coming into the Showdown
Turnover rate
History of shutting down opponents

Senseless...

 

[Jars458]

Drop Stevens??!!

B-b-bu-bu-but but.... what about that final two years ago where he played well?


Classic over compensation.

He knows Stevens is on thin ice, he knows the club would get criticised HEAVILY for dropping a gunnish looking kid to keep Stevens in the team and he wanted to short circuit this criticism by talking up Stevo's game.

I'm not buying it Phil. The only reason he's getting games is because Neil is in love with him and also because he's in the leadership group because all the oldies banded together and voted for each other.

So if that is what you think of our coach, our leadership group and our fotball manager, why do you still bother? Expected better of you than that Carl.

FFS, its not young versus old. Its balance. Its hard to find.

 

[Drummond]

So if that is what you think of our coach, our leadership group and our fotball manager, why do you still bother? Expected better of you than that Carl.

FFS, its not young versus old. Its balance. Its hard to find.

I think you'll find Carl is desperately wanting Davis in, just as we all do.

 

[Rave Slave]

So if that is what you think of our coach, our leadership group and our fotball manager, why do you still bother? Expected better of you than that Carl.

FFS, its not young versus old. Its balance. Its hard to find.

Without being facetious though are Davis and Stevens really THAT different from each other?

It can't be a pace thing because Stevens certainly isn't Usain Bolt. It's not a height issue because they're the same height. Davis has rebounded less than Stevens in the past but I don't see why he couldn't play the exact same role, considering previously he's had to play more accountable due to lining up on the best forward.

I'm not specifically singling you out here Jars, but I've seen so many people saying we dropped Davis due to team balance. What is the enormous difference between 195cm 85kg Phil Davis and 195cm 87kg Scott Stevens? Surely not just the 2kgs

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

So if that is what you think of our coach, our leadership group and our fotball manager, why do you still bother? Expected better of you than that Carl.

FFS, its not young versus old. Its balance. Its hard to find.

Alright, Neil isn't in love with Stevens. I'll give you that. That was just me being an idiot.

But the other stuff, surely you can acknowledge that I am on the money with both of those observations?

You don't think there would be some sort of camaraderie and respect between the veteran players at the club after playing together for so long? Or that there is any sort of defensive mindedness from an older player when they see a bunch of kids who are trying to take their spot in the team?

And secondly, Phil's comments about the 'greatest ever' games Stevo has put together in the last couple of weeks you don't think are at least a little defensive after the question he was asked implied criticism for dropping Davis?

 

[sbenno]

Without being facetious though are Davis and Stevens really THAT different from each other?

It can't be a pace thing because Stevens certainly isn't Usain Bolt. It's not a height issue because they're the same height. Davis has rebounded less than Stevens in the past but I don't see why he couldn't play the exact same role, considering previously he's had to play more accountable due to lining up on the best forward.

I'm not specifically singling you out here Jars, but I've seen so many people saying we dropped Davis due to team balance. What is the enormous difference between 195cm 85kg Phil Davis and 195cm 87kg Scott Stevens? Surely not just the 2kgs

Brains, and the ability to kick a football.

 

[pjcrows]

You'd think he'll go back to the SANFL after that game.

Don't overreact on the whole team, where we're heading etc too much based on this game. If we put up no effort and 10 scoring shots then you get worried. If we kick straight in the first half we win tonight. We didn't, but it's not disasterous.

 

[Jars458]

Rave, you make good points but Stevens had played very well for three weeks and has a history of being a good player for us.

No doubt the decision had many shades of gray and perhaps indeed showed a conservative steak in our selection. Buy Davis instead of Stevens would have made no difference tonight.

Stevens is really easy to criticse and tonight he was terrible but has been good for three weeks.

Tonight Hendersn and Jaensch were soft, Dangerfield was nowehre near it and even Sloane who I have seen praised was average at best.

VB was shite, and he will be our next captain.

It was a horrid night for the team. Stevens an easy target but hindsight is also easy.

Davis in for Stevens would have made zero difference tonight.

The whole club were poor today, distressingly poor.

 

[Jars458]

Alright, Neil isn't in love with Stevens. I'll give you that. That was just me being an idiot.

But the other stuff, surely you can acknowledge that I am on the money with both of those observations?

You don't think there would be some sort of camaraderie and respect between the veteran players at the club after playing together for so long? Or that there is any sort of defensive mindedness from an older player when they see a bunch of kids who are trying to take their spot in the team?

And secondly, Phil's comments about the 'greatest ever' games Stevo has put together in the last couple of weeks you don't think are at least a little defensive after the question he was asked implied criticism for dropping Davis?

Of course the veterans have respect and comraderie, and why would you not expect them to back each other, but equally the veterans tend to know whats what. We have had some good veterans over the years

I think phil was being defensive of course, as he should be, and as he is paid to be but also he was right, Stevens was very good over hte last three weeks.

So tough on Davis this week but Stevens deserved to keep his spot too.

Next week not though, lets wait on that one!

Carl, I enjoy your posts but thought the one I responded too was over the top. Anyway its been a shit day for the AFC and we all come from the same spot.

 

[Allefgib]

Davis back in for one of Bock/Stevens. Don't even really care which at this point as you can make cases for both of them to not be out there.

At the time I could understand why they did drop him. What we needed tonight though was someone to STOP Westhoff or Ebert. Stevens/Bock were not up to that. Davis has been doing that nearly every game. ANd didn't deserve to be dropped in the first place. Straight back in for mine.